Читать книгу Ring O' Bells Mystery - Enid blyton - Страница 4

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“Ring O’ Bells Village!” said Diana delightedly, when she heard the news. “Oh, Mother—it sounds lovely. I should like to go there. It sounds as if it’s out of a nursery rhyme.”

“Are there bells or something?” demanded Snubby, who was now up and looking more himself, though he looked very pale under his thatch of red hair. Even his mass of freckles seemed to have faded. “I’d like to ring church bells—you know, pull those ropes and make them play a tune.”

“It’s not as easy as all that,” said his aunt. “Well, I’m glad you are all pleased. You’ll be able to ride, anyway, and you all like that. I believe Ring O’ Bells is an interesting old village, too, with all kinds of stories and legends about it.”

“Good!” said Roger. “I like places like that. You never know when you might happen on something mysterious.”

“I don’t want you to go smelling out any mysteries or anything,” said his mother. “I just want you to get well enough to go back to school as quickly as possible, so as not to miss any more of the lovely summer term than you need.”

School didn’t appeal to the children very much just then. “I believe I’d faint if I had to go and sit in maths class now, Aunt Susan,” said Snubby, trying to sound pathetic. He had enjoyed being fussed over by his aunt. He had no parents, and his Aunt Susan was the nearest he had known to a mother.

“It’s much more likely that your maths master would faint,” said his aunt unsympathetically. “He’s probably thanking his stars that he hasn’t had to cope with you yet this term, Snubby.”

“I’m afraid I shan’t get much of a report this term, Aunt Susan,” said Snubby, still looking pathetic. “I mean—if I get a bad one for a change, you’ll quite understand, won’t you?”

“It won’t be a change,” said his aunt. “Have you forgotten last term’s report already? Shall I quote some of it to you?”

“No,” said Snubby hurriedly, suddenly remembering a few very nasty bits. He changed the subject. “When do we go? I say, it’ll be fun riding again, Aunt Susan—though I don’t know if I’ll be able to get on a horse now. My legs still feel peculiar.”

“Well, let the others ride then, and you wait till your legs let you mount,” said his aunt hard-heartedly. Snubby sighed. The time of being petted and fussed and coddled was over. He could see that. Well, it had been very nice while it lasted!

They all set off one day after breakfast. The three children looked pale, but they were in high spirits. It was fun to be going away to a strange place. Diana thought pityingly of her friends, swotting away at school. It was almost worth while having that awful ‘flu, to be going away unexpectedly like this.

Mrs. Lynton drove the car with Diana beside her. At the back were Roger, Snubby, and, of course, Loony. Loony’s great idea in a car was to stick his head as far out of the window as possible.

“Go faster, Aunt Susan,” urged Snubby. “I want to see what Loony does when his ears stand out straight behind him in the wind.”

“Don’t talk to the driver,” said Diana. “And don’t let Loony hang out of the window too much. He’ll get a chill.”

“He won’t,” said Snubby. “He never gets chills. He didn’t even take the ‘flu from us!”

They picked up Miss Pepper on the way, and then Diana went to sit at the back of the car with the two boys. They were all pleased to see the tall, trim woman, with her eyes twinkling as usual behind her glasses. She had a very nice smile that quite altered her rather prim face with the straight grey hair brushed away from it.

“The three children are not quite so lively as usual,” said Mrs. Lynton, “but you won’t mind that of course. Loony, I fear, is much the same as ever—perhaps a little madder, if anything.”

Loony was delighted to see Miss Pepper. He put his paws up on the back of her seat and snuffled lovingly down her neck. Then he pawed at her hat and she clutched it in haste.

“Is Loony still fond of taking brushes away and hiding them?” she asked.

“Yes!” chorused the children. “And towels now too, Miss Pepper.”

Miss Pepper groaned and made a mental note to keep her towel in a drawer, and not hanging by her wash-basin. She liked Loony but he really was a trial. She wondered how her cousin would put up with him. Oh dear—she hadn’t thought of that!

It was a long drive to Ring O’ Bells Village. They had a picnic on the way, and then, in the afternoon, Diana, Roger and Snubby lolled together in the back of the car and fell asleep. They were already tired with their journey. Loony stuck his head farther and farther out of the window, then his shoulders, and enjoyed himself thoroughly.

“We’re getting near the village now,” said Miss Pepper, looking at the map on her lap. “See those hills? Well, Ring O’ Bells is behind them, on the south side, so it’s very warm, though fairly high.”

They rounded the foot of the hills, and came in sight of the sprawling old village. The houses were made of white stone, and looked very solidly built indeed. The children woke up as they came into the village, a little way up the slope of the great hill.

“We’re almost there,” said Miss Pepper, turning to them. “Look—that’s Hubbard Cottage. When I was here as a little girl I really thought Mother Hubbard lived there. And over there is a very old show-place called Ring O’ Bells Hall—it was once a mansion, built in the sixteenth century. It’s now on show to the public, with a lot of the old original furniture in it. It’s got a secret passage too.”

“Has it!” said Diana in delight. “Are the public allowed to see that, too, Miss Pepper?”

“Yes, on payment of an extra sixpence,” said Miss Pepper. “They make a lot of money here in the summer time, because people come from all over the place to see Ring O’ Bells Village and hear its old legends. There are one or two old cottages in Ring O’ Bells Wood that really might have been where Red Riding Hood lived!”

“Ring O’ Bells Village—Ring O’ Bells Wood,” said Diana. “Mother Hubbard—Red Riding Hood—a secret passage! I say—this sounds exciting!”

“I dare say it’s all quite ordinary to the people who live here,” said her mother. “Look—there are the riding stables. I’m sure you’ll be there more than anywhere else, helping with the horses and getting yourselves even dirtier than usual!”

The riding stables looked nice. They too seemed old, and a bit tumbledown at the back, but the horses in the paddock were spruce and well groomed. The children felt their spirits rising high.

At last the car drew up in a lane off the main road, outside an old, solid-looking stone house. It was quite big, and rather rambling, as it spread away at the back into an odd wing or two, and some outbuildings. Hens ran over the garden, and ducks quacked from somewhere not far off. A dog ran barking to welcome them, its tail wagging furiously.

“A golden spaniel,” said Snubby, delighted. “Hey, Loony—meet your cousin. Do you know his name, Miss Pepper?”

“Yes—it’s Loopy,” said Miss Pepper, with a chuckle, and everyone roared with laughter. Loony and Loopy—what a pair of names—and what a pair of dogs too!

Loopy seemed practically as mad as Loony in the way he pranced about and barked and fawned over everyone. They might all have been long-lost friends of his! Miss Pepper’s cousin hurried out to greet them, smiling. She was like Miss Pepper, but shorter and fatter, and her smile was not quite so wide and cheerful. Still, the children thought she looked quite jolly—and anyway she had a very nice dog, who would be good company for Loony.

Soon they were all indoors, sitting down to a fine meal of home-made bread, scones and cakes, with home-made jam, and home-grown honey in dishes. Mrs. Lynton saw with approval that the three children seemed to have suddenly recovered their enormous appetites. Diana’s cheeks began to glow a little, and she chattered as fast as the boys.

Loony and Loopy sat impatiently beside first one child and then another, hoping for titbits. Occasionally they sniffed each other approvingly, though Loopy growled if Loony got a titbit he thought he ought to have.

“And now—” said Mrs. Lynton when they had all finished—“now, you three—you’re to go straight to bed. You have had a long and tiring drive, and I can see that Snubby’s legs are turning to jelly again.”

All three protested—but not very violently. Secretly they all longed to get between the sheets and lie down in comfort. Snubby felt surprised at himself for wanting such a peculiar thing, and wondered seriously whether he wasn’t suddenly turning into an old man.

It wasn’t long before they were all in bed, and Diana’s eyes closed almost at once. She shared a bedroom with her mother that night, but Mrs. Lynton was going off early the next morning, to drive herself home. Then Diana would have her room to herself. The boys shared one. Loony shared it too, of course. He would never be parted from Snubby at night.

“Have you got an old rug or something to put on Snubby’s bed?” Miss Pepper asked her cousin. “Just so that the dog won’t spoil your nice blankets, you know. I’m afraid he will sleep on the boy’s bed. I do hope you won’t mind.”

“I would have minded last year,” said her cousin, producing an old rug from a chest. “But since I’ve had to put up with Loopy I’ve learnt a lot of things. I won’t let him sleep on my bed—but he insists on sleeping on my couch. Here you are, Becky—take it to Snubby. What a name!”

“It’s because of his snub-nose,” said Miss Pepper, escaping with the rug. Snubby was already asleep. So was Diana. Roger opened his eyes just a little to say good night and then he too was asleep. His mother peeped in as Miss Pepper arranged the old rug on Snubby’s bed for Loony to lie on.

“I do hope you’ll all have a peaceful, restful time,” she said. “I shouldn’t think anything much ever happens here, does it?”

“No, nothing,” said Miss Pepper. “It’s a funny old dreamy, half-forgotten place. We shan’t have any excitement at all!”

She shouldn’t have said that. It was just asking for things to happen, of course!